Scotland will immediately be plunged into ‘fresh constitutional chaos’ if the SNP wins a majority after John Swinney declared he would begin talks on another independence referendum on day one.

The SNP leader said he would plan to begin talks with the Prime Minister straight away if 65 or more SNP MSPs are elected in Thursday’s Holyrood election.

But his comments were heavily condemned by opponents amid concerns it will reopen wounds from the divisive 2014 independence referendum.

Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay said: ‘Yet again, John Swinney confirms his only interest is his lifelong obsession with independence and he remains hellbent on plunging Scotland into fresh constitutional chaos and a neverendum.’

‘Breaking up the United Kingdom will be his number one priority if the SNP win a majority in just a few days time. We cannot allow this nightmare scenario to happen.

‘The next Scottish Parliament should be fully focused on the cost-of-living crisis and fixing public services, not on Swinney’s damaging and divisive fixation.

‘If pro-UK voters unite around the Scottish Conservatives on their peach ballot paper we can stop an SNP majority. That’s how we stopped them in 2016, 2021, and we can do so again.’

In an interview with the Daily Record, Mr Swinney announced he would immediately push for another independence referendum if he secures a majority following Thursday’s vote.

Asked if he expected talks to start straight away, he said: ‘Yes. That is what I think needs to happen because there has to be a recognition of the democratic wishes of the people of Scotland.’

He also denied that he had made a mistake by planning to prioritise independence over the cost of living in the early days of an SNP majority government. Mr Swinney said: ‘No, I don’t, because I think we have to make early and swift progress on that question.

‘Government can do a number of things at the same time. I’ve taken a number of steps already to tackle the cost of living issues and I want to make sure that we take other steps in the Scottish Parliament.’

The Scottish Conservatives have been warning voters that they need to unite to stop the threat of another independence referendum.

At a campaign event at Juniper Green, Edinburgh, on Monday, Mr Findlay said: ‘The worry is that Keir Starmer is so weak he will not listen to Anas Sarwar and there is a very real chance that they will roll over, and Scotland would be plunged back into constitutional chaos.

‘It is the last thing the people of Scotland want and it is the last thing our country needs.’

He also said Scots should be allowed to move on from talk about more constitutional turmoil if the SNP fails to win a majority – but that Mr Swinney is likely to still keep pushing for a referendum. He said: ‘I’d like to think that if he failed to win a majority that would be it put to bed.

‘But of course John Swinney only cares about breaking up the United Kingdom, it’s what gets him out of bed in the morning, it is what has motivated him for his entire political lifetime.’

In his interview with the Daily Record, Mr Swinney claimed that a strong result for Reform UK would be ‘a big threat to the operation and direction of the Scottish Parliament and to its very survival’ and said that he would work with other parties to ensure Reform has no influence.

He also said he would be ‘very happy’ to cooperate with Labour at Holyrood to marginalise Reform.

Mr Swinney, who has said he would seek to serve a full term and then stand for re-election in 2031, admitted that he can see ‘a number of potential first minister candidates’ in the current SNP ranks at Holyrood ‘and in the team that will be joining’.

SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn has been heavily touted as a potential successor if he secures election to the Scottish Parliament, as well as Housing Secretary Mairi McAllan.

At the weekend, a survey of more than 4,000 Scottish adults by More in Common projected that the SNP is on course to win 60 seats, which is five short of a majority.

It put Reform UK in second place on 22 seats, with Labour third place on 13 seats – which would be its worst performance since devolution – followed by both the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats on 12 and the Greens on 10.

A separate Norstat poll for the Sunday Times put the SNP on 36 per cent on the constituency vote, Labour 20 per cent, Reform 16 per cent, Conservative 14 per cent, Lib Dems 11 per cent, and Greens one per cent. 

On the regional list, it said the SNP is on 28 per cent, Labour and Reform 17 per cent, Conservative 14 per cent, Greens 12 per cent, and Lib Dems 10 per cent.

According to analysis by Sir John Curtice, the result would mean the SNP would win 57 seats, Reform 19, Labour and Tories 16, Greens 11 and Lib Dems 10.